Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-09-28

a poor opinion of men in general.
With two other families we were ac-
commodated in the house of maiden
lady, who with the aid of single do
nestle, conducted her little establish
ment in so home-like way that we be-
came the envy of summer boarders at
other houses, pining for the comforts
that we enjoyed. Our hostess was NJ ISIS
Matilda Alling. The circumstance that
she had family Bible descended to
her as the last representative of her
house, and that it was kept on the par
Tor table, enables me to state her ex-
act age. Il was forty-two; an age
when women are not expected to be
beautiful, be they maids, wives or
widows. Miss Alling was not bcauti-
full, but there was quiet grace about
her, and sweetness OF disposition
that charmed all who made her ac-
quaintance Her hair had many q
gray thread. there was no bloom on
her check, but now and then her eyes
would brighten as she talked, her face
would light up and you could see that
here must have been rare charms of
person before time had dealt harshly
with her. Her habitual expression
was one of sadness, and when
! found that she was educated, in
telligcnt and refined, l became
interested TO learn what romance had
been connected with her lifc-for /
was certain there was one. OF course,
! made no inquiries; knew that !
could trust Maria to find out all about
it, without any prompting from me.
In few days the story came to me,
naturally and quietly. 1t appeared
that, twenty years before, when Miss
Alling's parents were alive and resid-
ing in this house, she had lover, one
Martin Sands, two years her senior.
He was poor young man of the viii
lage, but In every way worthy of her,
and upon their betrothal he went off to
sea to seek his fortune. During the
next ten years, the correspondence of
these two went round and round the
globe. He wrote to her from almost
every quarter of it, repeating his vows,
but declaring that he never would re-
turn until he had made fortune.
This promising state Of things con-
tinued about ten years, and then his
letters ceased. For ten more years
she had heard nothing from him, and
all her letters of inquiry TO distant
parts of the globe had been fruitless
Two good offers of marriage she had
rejected, clinging fondly to the belief
that Martin would return, She cher
ished the hope just as firmly that sum-
mer rs she did the first year Of his alb
sence. She was sad, as we saw, but
still hopeful and faithful.
Maria ended her narration of this
little romance with a provoking brag:
There's constancy for you! That's
the way women behave! They keep
their word; they don't play false be-
cause there's little waiting to be
done. Though for that matter l don't
believe the man is worthy of her.
maria" said l, in my most i'm
pressive manner, II believe the man
is ut the bottom of the ocean where ii
is four miles and half deep"
We were both wrong: grand sur
prise presently visited that house.
The wanderer returned, alive and
well, and rich as jew. After knock
ing about the world in poverty and
hardship for seventeen years, he had
gone to the South African diamond
fields, and obtained the equivalent of
three hundred thousand dollars.
haven't q grain of romance in my
composition; but l looked with awe
and admiration upon this interesting
episode in real life, l began to think,
with the enthusiastic ladies of the
house, of whom Maria was the spokes-
woman, that we ought TO feel highly
honored by having such an impossi-
BILE thing happen right among us, and
when l found, after the lapse of forty
eight hours, that, notwithstanding
Miss Allings avalanche of happiness,
our dinners were just rs well cooked
and as we'll served rs before, could
not help aggravating Maria with the
remark that such woman as that
was worth about three hundred thou
sand dollars.
For the three weeks that followed,
before the house was closed and we
had to seek other quarters, the
ladies hail an exciting and
interesting timc in Watching tho re-
united lover, anil comparing notes
about them. Maria privately announced